SQL Server → PostgreSQL

SQL Server to PostgreSQL Migration

Automated T-SQL to PL/pgSQL transpilation, IDENTITY column sync, full schema migration, and CDC-based zero-downtime cutover — so you can move off SQL Server without rewriting your application logic by hand.

97.2%
Schema accuracy
IDENTITY → SERIAL
Auto-sync
T-SQL transpilation
Proc & function rewrite
Full CDC
SQL Agent CDC / LSN tracking

Key Syntax Differences

DBMigrateAIPro detects and rewrites these patterns automatically in DDL, stored procedures, views, and triggers.

IDENTITY(1,1)
SERIAL / SEQUENCE

Auto-synced during bulk migration

SELECT TOP N
SELECT … LIMIT N

Transpiled in stored procedures

ISNULL(expr, val)
COALESCE(expr, val)

ANSI-standard replacement

NVARCHAR(n)
TEXT / VARCHAR(n)

Unicode handled natively in PG

DATETIME2
TIMESTAMP

Precision preserved up to 6 digits

GETDATE()
NOW()

Replaced in DDL and procedures

Migration Steps

01

Connect

Provide SQL Server credentials or use Windows Trusted Authentication. Supports both pyodbc and pymssql drivers, named instances, and encrypted connections.

02

Assess

Automated schema scan identifies IDENTITY columns, computed columns, XML type columns, and CLR objects that require manual review or special handling.

03

Migrate

Parallel bulk copy with SET IDENTITY_INSERT handling. Tables are streamed in batches; foreign-key order is resolved automatically via dependency graph.

04

Validate + CDC Cutover

Row-count and hash verification on every table. Switch application traffic with zero downtime using SQL Server CDC LSN tracking to replay any changes made during migration.

T-SQL → PL/pgSQL Transpilation

Example stored procedure — before and after. DBMigrateAIPro rewritesTOP, ISNULL, GETDATE(), SET NOCOUNT ON, and IDENTITY references automatically.

Before — SQL Server
-- SQL Server: stored procedure
CREATE PROCEDURE dbo.usp_GetTopOrders
    @CustomerId INT,
    @MaxRows    INT = 10
AS
BEGIN
    SET NOCOUNT ON;

    SELECT TOP (@MaxRows)
        o.OrderId,
        o.OrderDate,
        ISNULL(o.ShipName, 'Unknown') AS ShipName,
        o.TotalAmount
    FROM dbo.Orders o
    WHERE o.CustomerId = @CustomerId
      AND o.OrderDate >= GETDATE() - 365
    ORDER BY o.TotalAmount DESC;
END;
After — PostgreSQL
-- PostgreSQL: equivalent function
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION usp_get_top_orders(
    p_customer_id INTEGER,
    p_max_rows    INTEGER DEFAULT 10
)
RETURNS TABLE (
    order_id     INTEGER,
    order_date   TIMESTAMP,
    ship_name    TEXT,
    total_amount NUMERIC
)
LANGUAGE plpgsql AS $$
BEGIN
    RETURN QUERY
    SELECT
        o.order_id,
        o.order_date,
        COALESCE(o.ship_name, 'Unknown'),
        o.total_amount
    FROM orders o
    WHERE o.customer_id = p_customer_id
      AND o.order_date >= NOW() - INTERVAL '1 year'
    ORDER BY o.total_amount DESC
    LIMIT p_max_rows;
END;
$$;

Type Mapping Reference

SQL Server TypePostgreSQL Type
INTINTEGER
BIGINTBIGINT
BITBOOLEAN
FLOATDOUBLE PRECISION
REALREAL
DECIMAL(p,s) / NUMERIC(p,s)NUMERIC(p,s)
VARCHAR(n)VARCHAR(n)
NVARCHAR(n) / NVARCHAR(MAX)TEXT
TEXTTEXT
IMAGE / VARBINARY(MAX)BYTEA
DATETIMETIMESTAMP(3)
DATETIME2TIMESTAMP(7)
SMALLDATETIMETIMESTAMP(0)
DATEDATE
XMLXML (or TEXT)
UNIQUEIDENTIFIERUUID
MONEY / SMALLMONEYNUMERIC(19,4)

Prerequisites

SQL Server 2014+

DBMigrateAIPro targets SQL Server 2014 and above. SQL Server 2019 and Azure SQL Database are fully tested.

SA or sysadmin role

Schema introspection requires sysadmin or the VIEW SERVER STATE and SELECT on all tables permissions at minimum.

pyodbc or pymssql driver

Install the Microsoft ODBC Driver 17/18 for pyodbc, or use pymssql for Linux environments without ODBC.

CDC enabled on source

Enable CDC on the source database before starting migration: EXEC sys.sp_cdc_enable_db. Required for zero-downtime cutover.

Ready to migrate?

Read the full setup guide or start your free trial — no credit card required.